Department for Transport

Farnborough Airport

baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 13 May (HL3586), why no data is kept on non-commercial flight movement to, and from, Farnborough Airport; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the absence of such data on their ability to enforce their plans to apply 14-day quarantine rules to those arriving on flights from overseas from the end of this month.

baroness vere of norbiton: Official data on commercial flights is collected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and received from UK airports in adherence to statistical regulation (EC) 437/2003 on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of passengers, freight and mail by air. As Farnborough mainly receives non-commercial flight traffic, it is exempt from reporting under this regulation. The Department can consult monitoring of flight traffic conducted by Eurocontrol to identify the volume of flights at Farnborough. This monitoring shows that Farnborough received an average of 10 flights (arrivals and departures) per day throughout April 2020. We are asking people travelling to the UK to supply their contact details and details of their accommodation, and to self-isolate in their accommodation for 14 days. Farnborough Airport is manned by Border Force officers who are based onsite during the opening hours for the airport. It will be their role to ensure adherence to the proposed requirement for international arrivals to complete the proposed online locator app, outside of a small number of exemptions to this requirement.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus

baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by the Foreign Secretary on 11 May (HC Deb, col 13), what is the “outstanding issue” referred to which is preventing the repatriation of UK citizens who are crew members stranded around the world on cruise ships.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The "outstanding issue" mentioned was not intended to refer to any particular obstacle preventing the repatriation of British crew members, but was a reference to the fact that although no British national passengers remain on any cruise ships, we continue to work on the outstanding issue of supporting the return of British crew members. We are in direct contact with all of the main cruise ship operators, as well as with many crew members and their families. We will continue to support operators to ensure the welfare and safety of British crew. Our overseas missions are liaising closely with local authorities in an effort to facilitate disembarkation and ensure British crew can access flights home.

Department for Education

Schools: Coronavirus

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capability of infants and primary school children to (1) understand, and (2) adhere to, the principles of social distancing at school.

baroness berridge: We know that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and schools, we are taking this into account. Schools should therefore work through the hierarchy of protective measures:avoiding contact with anyone with symptomsfrequent hand cleaning and good respiratory hygiene practicesregular cleaning of settingsminimising contact and mixingIt is still important to reduce contact between people as much as possible, and we can achieve that and reduce transmission risk by ensuring children, young people and staff where possible, only mix in a small, consistent group and that small group stays away from other people and groups.Public Health England is clear that if early years settings, schools and colleges do this, and crucially if they are also applying regular hand cleaning, hygiene and cleaning measures and handling potential cases of the virus as per the advice, then the risk of transmission will be lowered.Where settings are able to keep children and young people in those small groups 2 metres away from each other, they should do so. While in general groups should be kept apart, brief, transitory contact, such as passing in a corridor, is low risk.We have published guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings to support settings to get this right. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings.

Schools: Coronavirus

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential health benefits of using outdoor spaces to teach; and what plans they haveto (1) support, and (2) encourage, schools to make increased use of outdoor spaces as learning environmentsduring the COVID-19 pandemic.

baroness berridge: We recognise that outdoor education can be beneficial for the health and wellbeing of children and young people, and that outdoor space offers additional benefits to allow for distance between people during the coronavirus outbreak. Our guidance to help schools and other education settings prepare for wider opening to more pupils from 1 June, explicitly encourages the use of outdoor space and outdoor education where possible. In particular, we are asking schools to consider which lessons or activities could take place outdoors as part of a range of approaches they can take to help reduce transmission. We are also asking schools to use their outside space for exercise and breaks.

Schools: Coronavirus

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how longthey plan to postpone Ofsted inspections during the COVID-19pandemic.

baroness berridge: The Government recognises that this is an extremely challenging time for staff in school and care settings.In the current circumstances, it is right that routine Ofsted inspections in the school, further education, early years, local authority, and care sectors are suspended. Ofsted retains the power to inspect in all these areas and will use its powers if it has significant concerns. Ofsted also continues to register and regulate children’s social care, childminding and nurseries.No date has been set for a return to routine inspection at this time. We will continue to work closely with HM Chief Inspector, and the sectors Ofsted inspects, in determining when it will be appropriate to re-start routine inspections.We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

Schools: Coronavirus

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of teachers infecting each other with COVID-19 when schools reopen.

baroness berridge: Children, young people and teachers’ safety is our top priority. This is why we are taking a phased approach to opening for more children, to limit the risk of increasing the rate of transmission. We have issued guidance to childcare settings, schools and colleges on the protective measures they should put in place to reduce risk further.This guidance includes advice to reduce the risk of transmission to and between teachers and other staff, for example, by keeping the same staff and teachers with the same class or groups, where possible, and staggering the use of staff rooms and offices to limit occupancy. Schools should talk to staff about plans for wider opening, including discussing whether training to implement protective measures would be helpful.School teachers and staff are already eligible for testing, and all staff and students who are attending an education or childcare setting will have access to a test if they display symptoms of coronavirus. Where a child, young person or staff member tests positive, the rest of their class or group within their setting should be sent home and told to self-isolate for 14 days.

Schools: Coronavirus

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reassurance they can give to teachers, parents and children that they will be safe from contracting COVID-19 when schools reopen; and what financial and other support will be provided should anyone in those categories catch the virus.

baroness berridge: We want to get children and young people back into education as soon as the scientific advice allows because it is the best place for them to be educated and learn. We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by Government justify the changes at the time.Children, young people and teachers’ safety is our top priority. This is why we are taking a phased approach to opening for more children, to limit the risk of increasing the rate of transmission. We have also issued guidance to childcare settings, schools and colleges on the protective measures they should put in place to reduce risk further. These include children and young people staying within their new, smaller, classes wherever possible and limiting contact between different groups. We have also set out a range of additional protective measures including frequent cleaning, encouraging good hand and respiratory hygiene, reducing ‘pinch points’ (such as parents dropping children off at the start and end of day), and using outdoor space.Staff and pupils in all settings will be eligible for testing if they become ill with coronavirus symptoms, as will members of their households. A negative test will enable children and young people to get back to childcare or education, and their parents to get back to work. A positive test will ensure rapid action to protect their classmates and staff in their setting.With regard to financial support, schools will continue to receive their core funding allocations – as determined by the local authority for maintained schools and through the general annual grant for academies. In addition, we have announced a fund for schools to cover specific additional costs as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak; this remains open and should be used by schools as appropriate.

Treasury

National Income: Coronavirus

lord lamont of lerwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatestimate they have made of the impact of (1) current social distancing measures on GDP, and (2) the impending recession referred to by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the Economic Affairs Committee on 19 May, onGDP. [T]

lord agnew of oulton: HM Treasury does not produce forecasts of the economy or public finances. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing forecasts of the economy and public finances. On 14 April the OBR published a reference scenario assessing the potential impact of coronavirus. In this scenario GDP is assumed to fall by 35 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 before recovering in subsequent quarters. The OBR note that the Government’s policy response should help limit the long-term damage to the economy and public finances.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Roads: Hedges and Ditches

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been(1) an increase, or (2) a decrease, in the cutting of roadside verges and hedges by English local authorities since January.

lord greenhalgh: The department does not collect data on the cutting of roadside hedges and verges by local authorities. Individual local authorities should be contacted to ascertain any change in activity.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the statistics detailing the number of families and children affected by the two-child limit benefit policy up to April.

baroness stedman-scott: The Government has committed to annual statistics releases related to the operation of the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children. Statistics related to the period up to April 2019 are available on GOV.UK. Statistics related to the period up to April 2020 will be published in the summer.

Social Security Benefits

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the statistics detailing the number of families affected by the two-child limit benefit policy broken down by (1) parliamentary constituency, and (2) local authority.

baroness stedman-scott: The Government has committed to annual statistics releases related to the operation of the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children. Statistics related to the period up to April 2019 are available on GOV.UK. Statistics related to the period up to April 2020 will be published in the summer.

Universal Credit

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the deployment of staff to address Universal Credit claims on the average times taken to process disability benefit claims and appeals.

baroness stedman-scott: The latest published Personal Independence Payment statistics, which cover the period April 2013 to January 2020 are published on the Department for Work and Pensions statistics webpages. The tables below show the average actual clearance times covering the period January 2019 to January 2020 for claimants under a) normal rules (table 1), and b) special rules for terminal illness (table 2); Data covering the period April 2013 to April 2020 will be published on June 11th. Appeal clearance times from the date lodged to the date of disposal are published by the Ministry of Justice, and show that the mean clearance time for Personal Independence Payment appeals was 32 weeks in the period October to December 2019.We continue to monitor processing times across the different benefits to ensure that eligible claimants receive the financial support they are entitled to in a timely manner.Table 1: PIP Average Actual Clearance Times (Median number of weeks) - Normal Rules  Great Britain  (January 2019 - 31st January 2020) (i) Registration to issue of Part 2(ii) Issue of Part 2 to return of Part 2(iii) Referral to AP to return from AP(iv) Return from AP to DWP decision(v) Registration to DWP decision (end to end)(vi) Referral to AP to DWP decision  (end to end)New Claims  Jan-1904721510Feb-1904721510Mar-190462159Apr-190462139May-1905731410Jun-1905631611Jul-1904541610Aug-190554169Sep-190553159Oct-190562148Nov-190562158Dec-1906731710Jan-2005851912DLA Reassessments  Jan-1904782015Feb-1904851712Mar-1904621610Apr-190442127May-190543127Jun-190533127Jul-190453137Aug-190554149Sep-1905651611Oct-1905761712Nov-1905761913Dec-1906862013Jan-20051082315Source: PIP Computer System claimant records.Notes:1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks.2. The status of claims as 'normal rules' and 'new claim/reassessment' is shown as at the point of issue of the Part2/return of the Part2/return from the AP/DWP decision, in accordance with the measure. It is possible for claims to transition between normal/special rules and new claims/reassessments during the course of the claimant journey.3. The figures in the table are the average clearance time of claims cleared within that calendar month.4. The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases where the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)5. The 'Registration to issue of Part 2' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim (i.e. the date of the PIP 1 registration phone call) and the date the Part 2 form is sent to the claimant. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were disallowed prior to the issue of the Part 2 form because of failure to meet basic eligibility criteria.6. The 'Issue of Part 2 to return of Part 2' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date the Part 2 form is sent to the claimant and the date the form is received back by the Department. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were disallowed because the Part 2 form was not returned within the time limit.7. The 'Referral to AP to return from AP' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of referral to the Assessment Provider and the date of return of the Assessment Provider’s recommendation to DWP. This is a proxy for the length of time the claimant has waited for an assessment, because data on the dates that assessments took place is not held by DWP. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were returned to DWP without a report and disallowed because the claimant failed to attend the assessment without good reason.Note: the new claims data given for this measure is slightly different from the data previously published within the ad hoc statistical release of 28th January 2015. This is because the measure published in the ad hoc included all claims that were no longer outstanding with the Assessment Providers and hence included claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were returned to DWP without a report and were disallowed because the claimant failed to attend the assessment without good reason.8. The 'Return from AP to DWP decision' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of return of the Assessment Provider’s recommendation to DWP and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were returned to DWP without a report and disallowed because the claimant failed to attend without good reason.9. The 'Registration to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria or failure to return the Part 2 form within the time limit).10. The 'Referral to AP to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of referral to the Assessment Providers and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria or failure to return the Part 2 form within the time limit).11. Note: the individual parts of the claimant journey average times may not sum to the end to end claimant journey average times. This is because each measure is based on the median clearance time of cases cleared at that stage, while the end to end measure is based on the median clearance time for all cleared cases. As the size and distributions of clearance times for the individual stages will vary, the sum of the individual medians will not sum to the end to end median.12. '-' Fewer than 50 claims in this category.13. Great Britain only.   Table 2: PIP Average Actual Clearance Times (Median number of working days) - Special Rules(January 2019 - 31st January 2020)Registration to referral to the APReferral to AP to return from APReturn from AP to DWP decisionRegistration to DWP decision (end to end)New ClaimsJan-194115Feb-194115Mar-194115Apr-194116May-194116Jun-194116Jul-194116Aug-195116Sep-194116Oct-194116Nov-194115Dec-194116Jan-204115DLA ReassessmentsJan-195137Feb-194136Mar-194126Apr-194126May-193126Jun-193126Jul-192136Aug-191125Sep-193136Oct-194136Nov-195158Dec-195156Jan-204137 Source: PIP Computer System claimant records.Notes:1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest working day, i.e. Monday to Friday (including bank holidays).2. The status of claims as 'special rules' and 'new claim/reassessment' is shown as at the point of referral to the AP/return from the AP/DWP decision, in accordance with the measure. It is possible for claims to transition between normal/special rules and new claims/reassessments during the course of the claimant journey.3. The figures in the table are the average clearance time of claims cleared within that calendar month.4. The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases were the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)5. The 'Registration to referral to the AP' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim and the date of the referral to the Assessment Provider. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria).6. The 'Referral to AP to return from AP' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of referral to the assessment providers and the date of return of the Assessment Provider’s recommendation to DWP. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase.8. The 'Return from AP to DWP decision' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of return of the Assessment Provider’s recommendation to DWP and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase.9. The 'Registration to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the average time between the date of registration of the claim (or the date of transition if the claim moves from being a normal rules claim to being a special rules claim during the claimant journey) and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria).10. Note: the individual parts of the claimant journey average times may not sum to the end to end claimant journey average times. This is because each measure is based on the median clearance time of cases cleared at that stage, while the end to end measure is based on the median clearance time for all cleared cases. As the size and distributions of clearance times for the individual stages will vary, the sum of the individual medians will not sum to the end to end median.11. '-' Fewer than 50 claims in this category.12. Great Britain only.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Supermarkets: Coronavirus

baroness grey-thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the ability of supermarkets to identify vulnerable people to ensure that they are able to arrange food deliveries, and (2) the concerns raised by many disabled people that personal information may be sold on via marketing companies.

lord gardiner of kimble: Defra works closely with supermarkets to ensure that people who have registered with the Government as extremely clinically vulnerable, and have indicated that they need help to access food, are supported by offering them emergency food parcels provided by the Government. Supermarkets have been working at pace to expand the total number of delivery and click and collect slots for people in the wider non-shielded vulnerable category. Data has been made available to supermarkets on a strictly limited and controlled basis for the purpose of helping vulnerable people; supermarkets cannot contact anyone who does not have an account with them and individuals’ data will not be passed anywhere apart from to participating supermarkets. We have written agreements in place governing the sharing, use and retention of data. This precludes the sale of data that has been shared with them, or its use in any way contrary to the purpose under which it is shared.

Home Office

Airports and Ports: Coronavirus

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish a detailed plan about the quarantine of international travellers arriving in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic; and whether that scheme will cover ports as well as airports.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government will soon require all international arrivals not on a short list of exemptions to self-isolate in their accommodation for fourteen days on arrival into the UK. The General Aircraft Declaration (GAD) process will now be required for all flights coming to the UK, requiring crew to identify symptomatic passengers before arrival, with a similar process being implemented for maritime and international rail. This will contribute to keeping the overall number of Covid-19 transmissions in the UK as low as possible.Further details, and guidance, will be set out shortly, and the measures and list of exemptions kept under regular review.

Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 5 May (HL3266),whetherlocal authorities have specifically been told they should offer support to survivors of domestic abuse with a condition of no recourse to public funds; if so, whether it has been advertised so women in communities experiencing such abuse are aware of that.

baroness williams of trafford: Local authorities may already provide basic safety net support, regardless of immigration status, if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution. Local Authorities have been asked to work closely with the domestic abuse services in their area, providing support where they deem it necessary in order to protect victims of domestic abuse, for example by providing crisis funding to safe accommodation services. The Government has announced £28m of funding to support domestic abuse charities of which £10m has been allocated to support additional refuge bed spaces and specialist support. The Home Office has announced an additional £2 million in funding to help bolster specialist helplines and online services so that victims can continue to seek support. The Government domestic abuse awareness raising campaign under the hashtag #YouAreNotAlone, signposts victims to sources of advice and support. Details of these services can be found at www.gov.uk/domestic-abuse.

Email: Fraud

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 14 May (HL3707), what is the current status of their Suspicious Emails Reporting Service.

baroness williams of trafford: In April 2020, the NCSC launched the Suspicious Email Reporting Service. This initiative by the NCSC makes a significant contribution to the Government’s aim to make the UK the safest place to live and work online. As of 14 May, the Suspicious Email Reporting Service has had more than 300,000 emails submitted, leading to over 2,500 unique URLs, which resulted in 600 bogus sites being taken down. Examples of threats the NCSC has removed with the help of the reporting service include:- Scam web pages that have been flagged include mock-ups of official GOV.uk and TV licencing websites (visitors are lured into giving their billing information to scammers posing as these legitimate organisations). - Scam web pages purporting to sell coronavirus linked bogus products such as testing kits, face makes and even vaccines. (The NCSC noted a rise in cyber crime exploiting the coronavirus pandemic last month.) This automated email reporting service makes it easier than ever for people to help protect others from falling victim to scams. To use the reporting service, people are asked to simply forward suspect emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. If they are found to link to malicious content, it will be taken down or blocked, helping prevent future victims of crime.

Cybercrime: Coronavirus

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 on cybercrime rates; and what plans they have to addressany rise in cybercrime linked to COVID-19.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office and its operational partners continue to monitor and respond to the cyber crime threat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current assessments have not indicated an increase in reporting linked to COVID-19. However, cyber criminals are exploiting COVID-19 as an unparalleled opportunity to conduct criminal activity using social engineering, capitalising on people’s anxieties about the pandemic. On 21 April, the Government launched a revised Cyber Aware campaign to coincide with the launch of the NCSC’s new Suspicious Email Reporting service. The NCA have also launched an advertorial on the popular Games Radar website to deliver PREVENT messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic as the public spend more time online. The advert is designed to deter young people away from becoming involved in cyber-criminality.We have also recently launched a gov.uk page on coronavirus-related fraud and cybercrime. The page includes easy-to-follow steps for people to better protect themselves and signposts other relevant advice and tips. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime.

Cabinet Office

UK Trade With EU: Northern Ireland

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what documentation businesses will have to provide to send goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain after 1 January 2021.

lord true: The Protocol makes clear that Northern Ireland is and remains part of the UK’s customs territory and allows the UK to ensure unfettered market access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.The Government has set out its approach clearly to implementing unfettered access in the Northern Ireland Protocol, first in the ‘New Decade, New Approach’ power-sharing deal, and last week in the Command Paper, ‘ The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol’. Our publication makes clear that we will not require exit declarations or any other regulatory processes or checks as these goods enter the rest of the UK from NI. We committed to legislate to guarantee unfettered access for NI businesses to the whole of the UK internal market, and ensure that this legislation is in force for 1 January 2021.

National Cyber Security Centre: Finance

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the budget of the National Cyber Security Centre in (1) 2016/17, (2) 2017/18, (3) 2018/19, and (4) 2019/20; and what is it for2020/21.

lord true: The National Cyber Security Strategy supported by a £1.9 billion investment through the National Cyber Security Programme, is delivering transformational change, building new capabilities and intervening to protect the UK from cyber attacks.We established the National Cyber Security Centre in October 2016 as part of the National Cyber Security Strategy to bring together our best intelligence and expertise into a single national technical authority, driving improvements in detection, defence and incident management.Our manifesto committed to investing more in cyber security, embracing new technologies and legislating to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

Radio: Public Service Broadcasting

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they do not pay community radio stations to broadcast public information notices; and whether they have any plans to do so.

lord true: The Government is strongly supportive of the community radio sector and recognises the great value that it offers to communities across the UK.In light of COVID-19, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public.The campaign utilises a wide range of channels to maximise reach and engagement and to ensure our messaging reaches as many people as possible. This includes the use of paid-for advertising on community radio. We currently work with over 35 community radio stations on a weekly basis.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: China

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Henry Jackson Society Breaking the China Supply Chain: How the ‘Five Eyes’ Can Decouple From Strategic Dependency, published on 14 May, which states that the UK is strategically dependent on China for 229 categories of goods, 57 of which are used in critical national infrastructure

lord grimstone of boscobel: HM Government is protecting our national security while ensuring the United Kingdom remains a global champion of free trade and an attractive destination for international investment.My Department is working with other departments and our counterparts overseas to ensure the continued flow of critical equipment and supplies through this pandemic, as well as supporting trading businesses as the economy recovers. This includes diversifying the import and export markets for British businesses, which will allow them to build resilience into their supply chains.

Women and Equalities

Gender: Coronavirus

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they have provided to those researching the gender impact of the COVID-19 lockdown.

baroness berridge: The Office for National Statistics and Public Health England are government-funded bodies that are conducting research and analysis to understand gender impacts of COVID-19. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is also funding work in this area, such as adapting existing longitudinal studies to cover covid impacts, and running an open call for research proposals on covid-19. In addition, the Government Equalities Office has commissioned a survey under its existing Gender and Behavioural Insights research programme to measure the impact of the changes in the uptake of flexible working on gender equality within households and the workplace.

Theme Parks: Disability

baroness thomas of winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with theme parks about ensuring that (1) rides are accessible for disabled children, and (2) all reasonable adjustments are made to enable such children to participate; and what steps they intend to take in response.

baroness berridge: The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access so that disabled customers of all ages are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty, meaning that there is an expectation for businesses providing services, including theme parks, to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require.Anyone who believes that they or their children have been discriminated against in the provision of services may wish to contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) which can provide them with free bespoke advice and in-depth support. The EASS can be contacted via its website - http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/, by telephone on 0808 800 0082, or by text phone on 0808 800 0084. The EASS may contact a service provider on a customer’s behalf to discuss the scope for meeting the customer’s concern; it also liaises with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has powers to enforce the provisions of the Act.